Advisory Board Members
Holly Bray
After practicing law in Connecticut for nearly 40 years, Holly retired to New Mexico with her husband, Tad Witherington, in 2022. Her legal career in Connecticut included work in private practice as both a general practitioner and commercial litigator, and as an assistant attorney general. As an assistant attorney general, Holly investigated and prosecuted violations of the State’s charitable solicitation laws and the alleged misuse and theft of charitable funds and assets. She also represented state institutions of higher education, including the Connecticut State University System and the University of Connecticut. In that capacity, she advised administration officials on a variety of issues, drafted and reviewed contracts, and defended the institutions in negligence, discrimination, harassment, First Amendment, and breach of contract suits. While engaged in private practice, Holly also represented juveniles in judicial delinquency proceedings pursuant to a contract with the State of Connecticut and served on the board of directors of a not-for-profit organization located in Hartford, Connecticut, which provided after-school programs and counseling to abused and neglected at-risk youth.
Holly graduated from Connecticut College in 1978 with a B.A. in English. After graduation she earned her teaching certification at Southern Connecticut State University and taught severely emotionally disturbed children at a private residential school in Connecticut. After several years she left teaching and attended the University of Connecticut School of Law. Holly graduated with a juris doctorate in 1985.
Kathleen Higgins
As a fan, booster, and donor, Kathleen Higgins has been a part of Moving Arts Española for over ten years. Every encounter with the MAE staff and students leaves her with a happy heart. Kathleen, a Chicago native, has called New Mexico home since 1999. She is a member and active volunteer at Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis.
Kathleen taught English and speech at St. Michael’s High School in Santa Fe for twelve years. Like all of the MAE staff, Kathleen loves helping young people grow in confidence, skill, and poise. She attended College of Santa Fe and has a Master’s Degree in Education, with an emphasis on At-Risk Youth.
Kathleen worked in sales and marketing for the health and life insurance industry in Chicago for thirty years, retiring as Vice President of Sales and Marketing. She trained and managed sales and account management teams to achieve “personal best” goals while meeting (or exceeding) customer expectations and budget requirements. She attended Marquette University and Loyola University and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, with an emphasis on Marketing.
As Moving Arts Española plans its exciting future, Kathleen pledges to work with her Board colleagues to seek solutions and decisions that will make the organization a financially viable community treasure for years to come.
Joti Rodar
Joti Rodar was born and raised in the Espanola Valley. As a youth, she participated in recreational and competitive gymnastics programs, where she met Roger Montoya, one of her coaches. She went on to use her skills as a gymnast to coach recreational and competitive programs. Her love for theater started in her childhood at the Santa Fe Opera as a patron and a volunteer in the props department, which was one inspiration that ultimately led to her majoring in Theater Arts at UC Santa Cruz. She went on to work in the Los Angeles area as a lead scenic artist in the themed entertainment industry, where she was part of design/build teams that implemented projects for theme parks and other destination attractions that included Universal Studios Hollywood and Japan, Disneyland, SeaWorld San Diego, and Busch Gardens in Virginia, Port Discovery Children’s Museum in Baltimore, film/TV, and more.
She received her Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy in 2018 at Kean University in New Jersey and has been working as an occupational therapist, helping people improve their function and participation in the activities most important to them with both pediatric and adult populations. She is a self-taught crafter who enjoys drawing and painting, making jewelry, sewing, and mosaics and creating therapy tools in her therapy sessions. She joined the board of Moving Arts in the advisory capacity in 2024 after being a longtime fan and supporter of the program.